Cherry Tree Lodge

Updated 28 April 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Cherry Tree Lodge is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Cherry Tree Lodge is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service, an independent advocacy service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we spoke with 10 people who lived at the home and 6 of their relatives. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with 10 members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, a unit manager, care team leaders, care staff, the well-being lead, a member of the housekeeping team and the maintenance person. We spoke with 2 external healthcare professionals for feedback on their engagement with the service. We reviewed 6 people's care records and 6 people’s medicines records. We also reviewed records relating to training, recruitment and quality assurance.

Updated 28 April 2023

About the service

Cherry Tree Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for up to 72 people, some who are living with dementia and some who are very frail and have physical support needs. The service consists of 4 separate units over 2 floors. There were 53 people living in the home on the day of our inspection visit.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

Since our last inspection the provider had appointed a new management team who were committed to improving standards of care at Cherry Tree Lodge. Action had been taken to ensure audit systems operated effectively and the provider's policies and procedures were being followed. Where audits and quality assurance checks had identified improvements were needed, these had been incorporated into a home development plan which was monitored by the provider.

Staff had received further training so they could be more effective in responding to risk and had increased confidence to challenge poor practice. Staff told us managers were visible in the home and they felt able to raise concerns and make suggestions knowing they would be listened to. Relatives spoke of improved communication within the service and how changes implemented had resulted in positive outcomes for people.

There were enough staff to keep people safe and deliver support in accordance with people’s care plans. Staff understood their role in keeping people safe and safeguarding concerns had been reported to the local safeguarding team for external investigation. Risks to people's health and well-being had been identified and care plans contained guidance for staff on how to mitigate those risks. People received their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff encouraged people to engage in group activities they enjoyed, and community events were planned to enable people, relatives and friends to enjoy time together. Initiatives were being implemented to enable staff to spend more time with people, but these were not fully embedded within the home.

Managers understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour and relatives confirmed they were informed when things went wrong. Learning was shared with the staff team and there was a proactive approach to supporting staff practice when it fell below expected standards.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 16 December 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We previously carried out a targeted inspection of this service on 15 November 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment, safeguarding and the good governance of the service.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, responsive and well-led which contain those requirements.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last ratings inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Cherry Tree Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.